Two materials dominate the artisan keycap world right now: zinc alloy and resin. We work with zinc alloy every day at PureKeycap, so we have opinions. But we'll try to be useful first and opinionated second.
Here's what actually separates these two materials, and why we chose to build our entire lineup around one of them.
What Is a Zinc Alloy Keycap?
Zinc alloy keycaps are die-cast from metal. The process is the same one used for precision automotive and consumer electronics parts. Molten zinc alloy gets injected under high pressure into a steel mold, cooled, ejected, then finished with surface treatments like electrostatic spray painting or lacquer coating.
What does that actually get you?
- Real weight. A single zinc alloy keycap runs about 30–40 grams. A standard ABS or PBT keycap is 5–8 grams. You feel that difference the moment you drop one into your palm.
- Sharp geometry. Die-casting holds tight tolerances on edges and 3D relief. We've tested resin and plastic molds side by side, and the crispness of zinc alloy detail isn't close. Fine text, thin borders, and undercuts come out clean.
- The cold touch. Metal pulls heat away from your fingertip. If you haven't felt it before, it's hard to describe. The closest comparison: touching a granite countertop on a warm day. It's a small thing, but you notice it every single time you reach for that key.
- Longevity. Zinc alloy doesn't crack, chip, or warp. We've had test pieces on daily-driver boards for over a year with no visible wear.
We chose zinc alloy for our lineup because it gives us the most control over fine detail at production scale. Every PureKeycap piece is die-cast and hand-finished with high-gloss lacquer or spray paint. The coating locks in color while keeping the metal's weight and temperature feel intact.
What Is a Resin Keycap?
Resin keycaps are made through casting or UV curing. Liquid resin is poured into a silicone mold, sometimes with inclusions like glitter, dried flowers, or pigment swirls mixed in. After curing, the piece is sanded, polished, and sometimes given a topcoat.
Resin does some things well:
- Translucency. You can get a layered, almost liquid depth effect with resin that metal simply cannot do. If you want something that looks like a tiny aquarium or a frozen galaxy, resin is the only option.
- Artistic variety. Because the silicone molds are cheap to make, small artisans can experiment constantly. Hand-poured batches mean genuine one-of-a-kind pieces.
- Low weight. Some people prefer a lighter keycap, especially if they're putting artisans on multiple keys.
The tradeoffs: resin scratches more easily than metal. Surface polish degrades over months of use. And because the molds are flexible silicone rather than hardened steel, fine detail tends to be softer. Thin lines blur, sharp edges round off. It's a limitation of the material and the process.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zinc Alloy | Resin |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 30–40g per cap | 5–10g per cap |
| Durability | Excellent. No cracking, chipping, or warping | Good, but scratches over time |
| Visual style | Bold, sculpted, metallic | Translucent, layered, painterly |
| Touch | Cool metal (heat-wicking) | Room-temperature plastic feel |
| Price range | $15–$55 | $10–$80+ for rare artisan pieces |
| Detail sharpness | High (steel mold, high-pressure cast) | Moderate (silicone mold, gravity pour) |
| Sound | Deeper, muted thud | Higher-pitched, lighter click |
Which One Makes Sense for You?
If you care about how a keycap feels in use, zinc alloy wins by a wide margin. The weight changes the entire keypress. You get a more controlled, grounded stroke, and the acoustic feedback shifts lower. In our experience, people who try a zinc alloy ESC key rarely go back to plastic on that spot.
Zinc alloy is also the better pick if you want crisp sculpted designs, if your keycap sits on a desk where it gets handled a lot, or if you just don't want to worry about surface wear.
Resin makes more sense if you're after a specific visual effect that requires translucency or embedded objects. A well-made resin keycap with layered pigments can look stunning. We don't sell resin, but we respect the craft. It's a different art form with different strengths.
That said, we think most people underestimate how good zinc alloy looks in person. Photos flatten the detail. When you hold one, you notice the depth of the relief and the way light catches the lacquer at different angles. That's hard to communicate through a product page.
Can You Mix Both on the Same Keyboard?
Yes, and lots of people do. The most common setup we see: a zinc alloy artisan on ESC (the most visible single key) with the rest of the board in standard PBT or ABS. Some customers put one on the spacebar too, though the added weight changes the feel of the stab more than you might expect.
There's no wrong approach. Put them wherever you want.
Our Take
We sell zinc alloy keycaps because we think they're the stronger material for what most people want out of an artisan: detail, durability, and a feel you can't get from plastic or resin. We tested resin early on and kept running into the same issues with scratch resistance and detail softness. Zinc alloy solved both.
If you want to see what die-cast metal actually looks like on a board, check out our zinc alloy keycaps collection. Every piece is cast, finished, and inspected in-house.